Foldable tent

ABSTRACT

The tent frame includes an upper hub with a plurality of ribs intended to extend outwardly and a lower hub having an equal number of stretchers. The ends of the stretchers are pivotally connected to the ribs. As the lower hub moves upwardly, the stretchers force the ribs outwardly to erect the tent. Flexible cords extend down from the upper hub through the lower hub and out apertures in the bottom of the lower hub. Pulling the cords apart from within the tent causes the lower hub to move upwardly toward the upper hub to erect the tent. Alternatively, the cords can be passed around pulleys in the lower hub and upwardly through apertures in the top of the upper hub. Pulling the cords apart from above the tent causes the lower hub to move upwardly toward the upper hub to erect the tent.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed toward a foldable tent and moreparticularly, toward an improved frame for a foldable tent that allows aperson to erect or open the tent from inside or outside of the same.

Quick opening tents of the type to which the subject matter of thisapplication is directed are, per se, well known in the art. Examples canbe found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,954 that issued to Lin on Jan. 2, 1996and U.S. Published Application No. 2007/0062569 to Joo-Tai publishedMar. 22, 2007.

All such prior art tents are structurally very similar and operate insubstantially the same manner. They all include a tent fabric supportedon a frame. The fabric can be secured to the inside or the outside ofthe frame. The frame includes a plurality of elongated ribs that arepivoted to an upper hub and which are intended to extend radiallyoutwardly therefrom. The frames also include an equal number ofelongated stretcher members that are pivoted to a lower hub and to theribs. As the lower hub moves axially upwardly toward the upper hub, thestretcher members force the ribs outwardly to erect the tent. The systemworks essentially like an umbrella being opened.

To assist the user in opening or erecting such prior art tents, theframe conventionally includes a flexible cord that has one end securedto the lower hub. The cord then extends upwardly through an axialopening in the upper hub where it is accessible from above the tent onthe outside thereof. The tent is erected by pulling upwardly on the cordto pull the lower hub upwardly toward the upper hub. In some cases, thedistal end of the cord may include a handle or the like to assist theuser in gripping the cord to pull it up. As the cord is pulled upwardly,it is also frequently necessary to push the upper hub downwardly toensure that the lower and upper hubs are being drawn together.

While such prior art tents may work well, they do present certainproblems, particularly with larger tents. Depending on the height orwidth of the tent, it may sometimes be difficult to reach the cord atthe top of the tent frame. And even if one could reach the cord, itmight be difficult to apply enough force to pull the same upwardly toerect the tent. Obviously, some taller people may be able to erect suchprior art tents, while others may not be able to do so.

Thus, there is a need for a foldable tent frame that can be easilyopened or erected by someone who may not be able to reach over the topof the tent to open the same from above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of theprior art discussed above. It is an object of the present invention toprovide a foldable tent frame that can be opened without having to reachover the top of the tent.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a foldable tentframe that can be opened from inside the tent.

It is an even further object of the present invention to provide afoldable tent frame that can be opened from inside the tent or fromabove the tent from the outside thereof.

In accordance with illustrative embodiments demonstrating features andadvantages of the present invention, there is provided a tent that has atent fabric and a frame adapted to support the fabric on either theinside or the outside thereof. The frame includes an upper hub with aplurality of elongated ribs pivotally connected thereto and intended toextend radially outwardly and a lower hub having a plurality ofelongated stretcher members having first ends pivotally connectedthereto. The number of elongated stretcher members is equal to thenumber of ribs and the free ends of the stretcher members are pivotallyconnected to the ribs. As the lower hub moves axially upwardly towardthe upper hub, the stretcher members force the ribs outwardly to erectthe tent. Flexible cords are held in the interior of the upper hub andextend downwardly through the lower hub and out apertures in the bottomof the lower hub. Manually pulling the cords apart from within the tentcauses the lower hub to move upwardly toward the upper hub to erect thetent. Alternatively, the cords can be passed around pulleys in the lowerhub and be directed upwardly through the upper hub and through aperturesin the upper surface of the upper hub. Manually pulling the cords apartfrom above the tent causes the lower hub to move upwardly toward theupper hub to erect the tent.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readilyapparent from the following detailed description of a preferredembodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in theaccompanying drawings one form that is presently preferred; it beingunderstood that the invention is not intended to be limited to theprecise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the major portion of the tentframe of the invention shown in its fully collapsed condition;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the tent frame in its initialstage of being erected;

FIG. 3 is another view similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrating a furtherstage of the opening of the tent frame;

FIG. 4 illustrates the tent frame in its fully opened or erect position;

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the hub system used with thepresent invention with the cords arranged for opening the tent from theinside thereof;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the hub system of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 6 but showing theinterior of the hubs;

FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of the hub system used with the presentinvention with the cords arranged for opening the tent from the outsidethereof;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the hub system of FIG. 8, and

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 9 but showing theinterior of the hubs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numeralshave been used throughout the various figures to designate likeelements, there is shown in FIGS. 1-10 a foldable tent constructed inaccordance with the principles of the present invention and designatedgenerally as 10. Although the tent 10 includes a tent fabric 12, thisis, per se, conventional and is, therefore, being shown onlydiagrammatically in figures. The fabric 12 is not being shown in most ofthe figures so that the frame 14 and the operation thereof can be seenin more detail. Again, it should be pointed out that the presentinvention can be used with the type of tent that has the fabric securedto either the interior or exterior of the frame. That is, the frame canbe inside of or outside of the tent fabric.

As with many prior art tent frames, the frame 14 includes an upper hub16 and a lower hub 18 arranged therebelow but in axial alignmenttherewith. A plurality of elongated ribs, such as shown at 20 and 22,have their upper ends pivotally connected to the upper hub 16. While sixsuch ribs are shown in the figures, it should be clear that this is byway of example only. Fewer or more ribs may be employed depending on thenature and size of the tent 10.

A plurality of stretcher members such as shown at 24 and 26 have theirlower or inner first ends pivotally connected to the lower hub 18. Thenumber of elongated stretcher members 24 and 26 is equal to the numberof ribs 20 and 22. The upper or free ends of each of the stretchermembers 24 and 26 are pivotally connected to a different one of the ribs20 and 22.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, as the lower hub 18 moves axially upwardlytoward the upper hub 16, the stretcher members 24 and 26 force the ribs20 and 22 outwardly so that the ribs extend radially outwardly from thefirst hub 16 to form the erected tent. Extending upwardly from the lowerhub 18 at the center thereof and axially aligned therewith is a spindle28. This is, perhaps, best seen in FIG. 3. As shown best in FIGS. 7 and10, the lower portion of the upper hub 16 includes a recess 30 which iscomplementary in shape to the shape of the upper part of the spindle 28.As the upper and lower hubs 16 and 18 approach each other, the upper endof the spindle 28 enters the recess 30 to ensure proper alignment andprovide a stop means for properly positioning the hubs in spacedrelationship as shown in FIGS. 7 and 10. Temporary locking means can beprovided to lock the upper and lower hubs 16 and 18 together in order tomaintain the tent in its erect condition.

With the exception of the spindle 28 and recess 30 just described, thetent and tent frame 14 and the operation thereof described above areconventional. Examples can be found in the patent to Lin and thepublished application to Joo-Tai referred to above. For convenience, theentire disclosure of the Lin patent and the Joo-Tai publication areincorporated herein by reference. As can be seen in Lin and Joo-Tai, theupper and lower hubs are drawn together by a cord that is attached tothe lower hub and passes upwardly through the upper hub so as to beexposed at the top and exterior of the tent. By pulling on the cord fromthe top of the tent, the lower hub is drawn upwardly to erect the tent.The improved hub arrangement of the present invention allows the tent tobe erected from either above and outside of the tent or from inside ofthe tent.

The details of the hub system of the present invention that allow thetent to be erected from either above the tent or inside the tent areshown in FIGS. 5-10. With reference first to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, it can beseen that a flexible cord 32 extends around a support 34 that is fixedlysecured within the interior of the upper hub 16. The two free ends 36and 38 of the cord 32 extend downwardly through the interior of thespindle 28 and through apertures 40 and 42 formed in the lower wall 44of the lower hub 18. Preferably, the lower wall 44 is in the form of acover or cap that can be snapped onto or otherwise secured to the lowerhub 18 and which can be removed when desired.

The use of a single cord 32 that extends around the fixed member 34 asshown in FIG. 7 is, of course, by way of example only. It is possible touse two separate distinct cords that each have their upper ends fixed insome manner within the interior of the upper hub 16. It is also withinthe scope of the present invention to use only a single cord having itsupper end secured within the hub 16 and the lower end extendingdownwardly through one of the apertures 40 or 42.

If a single cord such as either cord 36 or 38 is utilized, the tent canbe opened from the interior thereof, i.e. from below the hubs 16 and 18,by pulling down on the cord with one hand while pushing up on the bottom44 of the lower hub 18. This movement will draw the hubs 16 and 18toward each other in order to erect the tent as described more fullyabove. With the use of two cords, however, one need not push on thelower hub 18. Rather, grasping each of the two cords with a differenthand and moving the hands apart will force the lower hub 18 upwardly asthe sides of the apertures 40 and 42 will act as cam surfaces as thecords are being forced apart from each other.

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 illustrate how the identical system can be utilized toerect the tent from above. To accomplish this, the cords 36 and 38 passaround pulleys 46 and 48 that are secured within the lower hub 18 andthen extend upwardly through openings 50 and 52 at the top end of thespindle 28 and through similar apertures 54 and 56 in the recess 30. Thecords 36 and 38 then pass through apertures 58 and 60 in the upper wallor cap 62 of the upper hub 16. As with the lower cap 44, the upper cap62 is adapted to be temporarily secured to the top of the upper hub 16so that it can be removed when desired.

With the cords 36 and 38 extending through the top wall 62 of the upperhub 16 as shown in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, the tent can be erected by holdingthe cords and pulling them up while pushing down on the top 62 of theupper hub 16 or by drawing the cords 36 and 38 outwardly away from eachother with two hands. In this way, the upper edges of the apertures 58and 60 will function as cam surfaces drawing the hubs 16 and 18 togetherto erect the tent.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential attributes thereof andaccordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims rather thanto the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

We claim:
 1. In a tent having a tent fabric and a frame adapted tosupport the fabric wherein said frame includes an upper hub with aplurality of elongated ribs pivotally connected thereto and intended toextend radially outwardly therefrom and a lower hub having a pluralityof elongated stretcher members having first ends pivotally connectedthereto, the number of stretcher members in said plurality of stretchermembers being equal to the number of ribs in said plurality of ribs andwherein the free ends of each of said stretcher members are pivotallyconnected to a different one of said ribs whereby as said lower hubmoves axially upwardly toward said upper hub, said stretcher membersforce said ribs outwardly to erect said tent, wherein said improvementcomprises: said upper hub having an interior and an upper wall with atleast one aperture therein and being dimensioned so as to allow twocords to pass therethrough without interfering with the operation ofsaid frame; said lower hub having an interior and a lower wall with atleast one aperture therein and being dimensioned so as to allow twocords to pass therethrough without interfering with the operation ofsaid frame; first and second pulleys located within one of said upperand lower hubs; first and second cords extending from the interior ofthe other of said upper and lower hubs toward and into said one of saidupper and lower hubs, said first cord passing around said first pulleyand said second cord passing around said second pulley, said first andsecond cords then extending through said other of said upper and lowerhubs and extending through the said at lease one aperture in the otherof said upper and lower hubs so as to be accessible from the exteriorthereof.
 10. The improvement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lowerwall of said lower hub includes two apertures therein with a differentone of said two of cords being capable of passing through each aperture.11. The improvement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said upper wall ofsaid upper hub includes two apertures therein with a different one ofsaid two of cords being capable of passing through each aperture.